Kasikorn Announce First Mobile Banking Network

KASIKORNBANK together with dtac introduce "ATM SIM", the SIM card innovation that makes financial transactions always handy for Thai people. It is Thailand‘s first and only service that enables customers to use ATM services via their mobile phones. Customers can check their bank balance, make transfers and payments and be informed of their payment deadlines wherever they are.

Thailand, the 18th of March 2008 [Pattaya Daily News]: Krisada Lamsam, Executive Vice President of KASIKORNBANK Public Company Limited, and Thana Thienachariya, Chief Commercial Officer of Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (dtac), have jointly launched in a press conference the ATM SIM, Thailand’s first service innovation that combines financial transaction services with communication technology.

Mr. Krisada says ATM SIM is Thailand’s first and perfect convergence of financial services and communication technology, enabling customers to conduct transactions via their mobile phones as if they were doing them at an ATM. Customers, for example, can check their bank balance, transfer money to other KASIKORNBANK accounts and pay for products and services. Apart from general ATM-based services, ATM SIM is special as it enables mobile phones to warn users of payment deadlines and the customers can also add their KASIKORNBANK credit card accounts to their SIM so that they can also check their available credit and outstanding balance via their handsets. The only thing that customers cannot do is cash withdrawal. In the future, the bank will add more services to ATM SIM for the convenience of KASIKORNBANK and dtac customers.

ATM SIM guarantees the same security standard as served for other financial transaction channels of the bank but provides its subscribers with better convenience. It benefits the customers of both KBank and dtac. Today KASIKORNBANK and dtac have altogether 24 million customers: seven million customers of the bank and 17 million customers of dtac. The joint service should expand the customer base of both companies and their customers should benefit from the more convenient services. Presently, the bank has more than 600 branches with its 4,000 ATM kiosks installed nationwide.

Mr. Thana says the joint project of KASIKORNBANK and dtac allows customers to make financial transactions conveniently everywhere. Both companies integrate the operations of ATMs and mobile phones which are everyone’s everyday devices to jointly serve customers. As a result, the customers of both companies enjoy more convenience. Transactions via ATM SIM are the most convenient among other transactions through mobile phones. dtac has developed ATM SIM especially for the service integration with KASIKORNBANK accounts. Present dtac customers can maintain their existing phone numbers after changing to ATM SIM. Besides, ATM SIM with new phone numbers are also available to serve the customers who would like to subscribe to new numbers. With the combined marketing budget of over 80 million baht from both companies, 150 subscription booths, 100 mobile service units and 1,000 staff members, both companies expect to have one million ATM SIM customers within this year.

ATM SIM enables customers to: – check the balance of KASIKORNBANK accounts; – transfer money from the accounts tied to mobile phones to other KASIKORNBANK accounts free of charge for local transfers (Transfers across localities are subject to the same charges applied to ATM-based services.);
– be informed in advance of monthly deadlines for the payment of dtac phone charges;
– be informed of changing balance in designated accounts;
– pay monthly dtac phone charges, top up Happy prepaid accounts, pay the bills of KASIKORNBANK credit card accounts and pay for other services;
– check the balance of the accounts for 100 times a month free of charge from today until August 31 with additional checks being subject to a fee of two baht per inquiry (From September 2008 on, the free service will be limited at 25 inquiries a month.)

The customers who have KASIKORNBANK ATM cards, debit cards or credit cards tied to saving or current accounts of KASIKORNBANK can subscribe to ATM SIM. Customers who have dtac and Happy SIM cards can replace the cards with ATM SIM cards at ATM SIM booths in the branches of KASIKORNBANK free of charge. The replacement is also available at dtac Service Halls and dtac shops but is subject to a charge of only 50 baht. However, dtac postpaid subscribers will in return receive a service fee discount worth 50 baht and Happy prepaid subscribers will obtain additional 50-baht value for their prepaid accounts right after they completely activate their new ATM SIM cards at KASIKORNBANK ATMs.

New subscribers can seek ATM SIM cards free of charge. Over 600,000 free ATM SIMs are available at all KASIKORNBANK branches nationwide. Besides, they can now buy ATM SIMs at dtac shops and dtac Service Halls nationwide and receive special promotional privileges in return. ATM SIMs will also be available at dtac dealers nationwide from mid April 2008.

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